Ranking Member Scott Statement on September Jobs Report

Ranking Member Scott Statement on September Jobs Report

WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statisticsannounced that the economy gained 29,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate increased from 4.1 percent to 4.2 percent.

"This Trump economy might be working for the wealthy and the well connected, but it clearly is leaving workers behind. CEO pay is skyrocketing, while for working people, it's a daily struggle just to cover groceries and rent. Workers' wages are failing to keep up with inflation, and the increasing cost of daily expenses are eating into workers' paychecks. According to the Century Foundation, inflation-adjusted debt payments grew faster than income in recent years as working families have struggled to make ends meet.

"The jobs numbers show the same strain: Trump has added only 776,000 jobs between January 2025 and September 2026, while the Biden administration added 10.7 million within its first 20 months. Since President Trump returned to office, not one month has reached the average monthly job creation under the Biden administration. In fact, he has not even achieved 70 percent of Biden's monthly average.

"And now, as a result of the 'Big Ugly Bill's' cuts to the SNAP program, families are losing their food assistance. An estimated 4.5 million people have lost their SNAP benefits, including more than 1.5 million children. Across the country, people are feeling the impact. In North Carolina, demand at food pantries and food banks is up 20 percent this year, as SNAP enrollment has plummeted by more than 110,000 people since September 2025. In Kansas, one pantry reports distributing 50 percent more food than a year ago. In Oregon, pantry directors say they have gone from being a supplemental resource to the primary source of food, and many incoming families have never had to ask for help before. This is what happens when tax breaks for the wealthy are paid for by taking food off the tables of working families.

"That's why I, alongside my Democratic colleagues, am fighting to put working families first. Children cannot learn on an empty stomach, and parents cannot build a better life when they cannot afford groceries. We will keep pushing to protect school meals, strengthen job training, lower the cost of college, and make sure every worker can earn a living wage and retire with dignity."

To see a chart comparing the cumulative seasonally adjusted job change by month between President Trump's first and second terms, and President Biden's presidency, click here.

To see a chart comparing the total job change between President Trump's first 20 months in office and President Biden's first 20 months in office, click here.

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